Rajeev Gowda's primary loss takes him to Rajya Sabha

BANGALORE: On March 13 when MV Rajeev Gowda lost the Congress primary for Bangalore North Lok Sabha seat to CM Siddaramaiah's hand-picked candidate, C Narayanaswamy, it must have seemed like the lowest point of his nascent political career. In fact, Gowda, who had worked hard for months to get the Congress ticket, had been blind-sided by the party's decision to have a primary and finally placed a lowly third. As the aphorism goes, 'When a door closes, a window opens': that's exactly what's happened as Gowda is now going to the Rajya Sabha instead of SM Krishna. Gowda, a Wharton graduate, who hails from an old Congress family in the state, had been unsuccessfully trying to get either an MLA's or an MP's seat for many years now. In retrospect, the primary defeat saved Gowda from the Modi avalanche that swept the state and paved the way for his becoming an RS MP. An IIM-Bangalore faculty member, Gowda is set to enter the Rajya Sabha unopposed. "It's been a long journey. I am very happy that the Congress high command has given an opportunity to someone who has a passion and commitment to public service. I am open to ideas across the board. On this occasion, I emember my father, former speaker MV Venkatappa," Gowda said. Considered a lightweight in Congress circles, Gowda is known to be a part of the nuclear group of AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, a major factor in him piping former CM SM Krishna to the RS nomination. Though the AICC president has the last word on selection of the RS candidate, Rahul, who is looking at building his own team, is said to have had his say. Hence, when the proposal to replace Krishna came up due to his age factor, it had to be another Vokkaliga, so as to not upset the caste calculations. Actor Ramya along with former MP DK Taradevi Siddharth were lobbying for the seat, but Gowda was considered for reasons other than being a Vokkaliga. Reports have it that minister Krishna Byregowda, who has access to Rahul, also worked to get the ticket for Gowda.

According to Congress sources, after the party's poor Lok Sabha outing, it realized that in two years the Rajya Sabha would be losing all its seniors. "To move on, it decided to build a new generation of MPs by choosing people with potential. Of course, the change would have been brought about in a smooth manner without causing hurt to anyone," they added. The 50-year-old Gowda is one of the four spokespersons on the AICC panel from Karnataka. The Rajya Sabha is the only avenue now where the Congress has a voice and needs persons who can articulate issues. Gowda, who has conducted a couple of workshops in IIM-B for the party's elected representatives, fits the bill.